


Once Upon an Ending

by SDUniverse



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canonical Character Death, Chara (Undertale) Protection Squad, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Frisk (Undertale) Is a Sweetheart, Frisk (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Narrator Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Chara & Frisk (Undertale), Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Frisk (Undertale), Post-Undertale Neutral Route - Neutral Pacifist Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26315992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SDUniverse/pseuds/SDUniverse
Summary: Frisk left the underground without killing a soul, but they also never come back. The SAVE File is still under their name, but it is out of their range. Thankfully, it is out of Flowey's vines too.Those in the underground refuse to give up hope despite how bleak things seem to be.As it turns out, seeing a monster fade into dust right in front of you and then fighting an overgrown, biomechanical, godlike monstrosity directly after is pretty traumatic. Frisk is doing their best to recover from everything that they faced in the underground by sharing it with as little people they can manage.Which as it turns out, is really difficult.One day, Frisk decides to pay a visit to Mt. Ebott. Once at the top, they meet an old friend of theirs. Frisk pays a quick visit inside, where they receive a few missed calls.
Relationships: Chara & Frisk (Undertale), Flowey & Frisk (Undertale), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 26





	Once Upon an Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Well well well, my first post. Let's see how this goes. Feel free to point out any spelling or grammar errors you come across, critiques are welcomed too.
> 
> 2/26/2020: Currently on hold/discontinued

Waking up was not a pleasant experience. The first thing that crossed Frisk's awareness was the pain that throbbed in their skull. The pain felt as though a knife had been pierced right through Frisk's head. Frisk curled in tighter on themself as they squeezed their eyes shut, hoping that the deeply rooted pain would fade away. 

Frisk's energy was slipping away faster than they could keep up with. They relaxed the tension in their body as much as they could, which in turn made the pounding soreness in their head become somewhat bearable. How long had they been out?

A chilled, hollow wind washed through the room carrying an earthen fragrance along with it. The ground was lumpy and rugged as though they were on a bed of rocks. Debris dug into their right side that lay flat against the floor. Frisk's sweater was soaked in places with something warm that trickled its way down to the terrain below.

Everything was just so distant. Were they even awake? Or was this all still a dream? Frisk played back everything they could remember that led them to this point to clear up their confusion.

They had successfully made it to King Asgore after a treacherous journey through The Underground. Frisk's goal was to convince the king into letting them go, but their choice to show mercy had been stripped away from them by King Asgore's trident. They had no choice but to fight him if they wanted to get past him and through The Barrier to return back to the surface, so they caved. It hurt having to _really_ attack someone like that. Frisk swore that they'd never harm a soul, but they _had_ to get back home.

In the end, Frisk had emerged victorious and knocked the king of all monsters to his last _hope_. They could've killed him easily, but Frisk elected to show him mercy. But it didn't even matter. King Asgore was struck down by someone else in the room, and he perished. His body crumbled away into a glistening, gray power, weaving into his clothes and coating his armor. Asgore's assailant was none other than Flowey. Flowey the flower. Who would've thought?

Frisk shuddered at the mere thought of what followed. Flowey had absorbed the six collected human souls that had been stored safely away at The Barrier, causing him to turn into something monstrous. No, _demonic._ His power was so great that he could morph reality around him. If that's what one could do with _six_ souls, could this world even handle the power of seven?

Slowly and reluctantly, Frisk opened their eyes. Various colors of the rainbow danced through their vision, making it near impossible to see most of their surroundings. Frisk rolled onto their back to dislodge the gravel that left impressions in their skin. A sharp, burning ache flared up in their left shoulder immediately due to the sudden movement. Frisk let out a pained hiss as their right hand immediately clutched at the wound. Blood that leaked out of the gash in their shoulder seeped in between their figures. The area around the wound was bruised and screaming with pain.

It was clear that Frisk had various injuries all over their body, but their shoulder was the worst of them by far. The tingling feeling of magic was present in every wound that decorated their body which broke through their skin. That was thanks to Flowey’s infamous bullets. Magic sure did hurt when it wanted to. Frisk's skin was covered in other bruises and even a few burns where the searing hot flames that Omega Flowey dished out burnt into them. They’d really take a beating. 

Seconds passed as Frisk lied still on the ground with their pain. Then every ache in their body faded into an icy numbness. Frisk could only take short, ragged breaths as their awareness began to fade until they could only hear the pounding of their soul. Their body fell limp as black seeped into the edges of their vision. Before long, their soul, their very essence, began to split apart. 

_No… No!_ It couldn't end here! They'd finally made it through to the other side. If they died now they'd have to reload, and if they reloaded, they'd have to endure _all_ of that all over again. Frisk clung to their life with all of the power that their soul still carried, but their hold was slipping.

A chill in the air found its way to Frisk’s soul and wove itself around the outside of it in a cold embrace. It appeared to be nothing more than a pearly shimmer of mist that had enveloped itself around Frisk. The world while looking through the fog blurred and fell out of focus. Frisk’s soul only continued to tear itself apart as this brisk air seeped down into its core. The mist congealed itself into a solid form, that of Frisk’s trusted ally, Chara. It was no longer seamless air that embraced Frisk’s soul, but two hands clasped around it, holding it together.

Frisk was suddenly somewhere else entirely. They were sprawled out on a silken mattress with a soft comforter tucked up over their shoulders. A strong scent of flowers permeated the entire room. The gray wallpaper filled Frisk’s vision. Frisk wanted to turn their head to admire the rest of the room they found themself in, but they failed to scrounge up any energy to perform the task. Someone was knelt down at their side, but Frisk just couldn’t see who. A heavy hand was gently placed onto their shoulder, completely covering it. The hand gave them warmth through the comforter that nearly covered their entire body. Frisk knew they were safe here.

“Chara, please, stay determined. You cannot give up just yet...” The low rumble of King Asgore’s voice reverberated through Frisk’s bones.

He was right there. The king of all monsters was right by their side, telling them to keep going. Frisk wouldn’t disappoint him.

"The thought of the end finally being in sight after such a treacherous journey fills you with determination." Chara remarked.

Chara’s warm voice immediately snapped Frisk back to reality. Within seconds Frisk jolted upright into a seated position as they took in a sudden gasp of air. All of the drowsiness that weighed on Frisk’s body moments ago disappeared the same way water drops did on a hot pan. Their soul radiated energy within them like a star as all of the cracks and lesions sewed back together. Frisk got their breathing under control once it was clear that they were awake and alive. They were okay. They were here. Breathe, just breathe. They were alive. 

The combined lights created by the souls of the six humans that fell before them had been burned into their vision, swirling around. The room appeared darker than it was in reality. Like when you re-entered a building after having been outside whilst the sun shone and your eyes needed a moment to readjust. The souls' demonstration of strength had been a rather spectacular light show to be the witness of. They’d all really shown that flower who’s boss.

_Flowey…Flowey!_

Frisk's heart skipped as they scrambled to their feet. They frantically scanned the area around them with their eyes wide with panic. Frisk's soul rapidly drummed from within them, desperately trying to break free. Every color was brighter, every sound louder, every breath felt it could be their last if Frisk played their cards wrong. Were they worried about Flowey or concerned with their own survival? Whatever the reason, they _had_ to know where he was.

Frisk rubbed their eyes to chase away the rainbow of colors that tainted their vision. Their eyes finally readjusted to the room's brightness level, allowing them to see properly. When Frisk looked down they almost jumped out of their skin. There he was, the flower that had struck fear into their soul, who killed them in countless different ways, who was the antithesis to everything they believed. _Flowey_!

Frisk squint their eyes to get a better focus on the flower. They could barely recognize him. Flowey’s face drooped over to the side with his petals in tatters. The flower’s face was completely obscured, so Frisk had no way of making out any sort of emotion that may have been present in Flowey. Though, knowing how Flowey was, there likely wouldn't be much to find.

Sap along with a deep crimson substance trickled out of the worst of the flower’s wounds. Blood? No, it was too bright to be blood. Determination then. Frisk remembered reading something about determination when they ventured through the halls of the basement to Alphys’s lab. Flowey was brought to life by the stuff, if he lost it… Frisk shook their head to recollect themself. They needed to focus.

Frisk took a deep breath in, and out. Flowey would be fine. They would make sure of it. Frisk cupped their hands in an attempt to stop them from trembling as they walked up to Flowey at an incredibly slow and careful pace. Flowey hadn't moved yet. Was he even alive still? Had the souls actually killed him?

Flowey’s head ever so slightly tilted up at Frisk to answer their unspoken questions, his stem shivered from the effort. He was alive still, but he was really injured. Flowey's head fell back to the slumped position it was in before. One step at a time, Frisk closed the distance between them and the injured flower. Once Frisk was an arms-length away from Flowey, they lowered down to their knees and rested their trembling hands in their lap. 

Flowey was much easier to see now that Frisk had closed the distance between the two. His petals hung like rags around his face, having their usual vibrant gold dulled and washed out. His stem was just as bad, it's usual green hardly looked like it belonged to a live plant. The liquid determination flowed out of his wounds, a stark contrast against the green. If determination was like what blood was for humans, then Flowey needed to be healed, and soon. 

Frisk took off their trusted backpack that had stayed with them throughout their journey and dragged it between them and Flowey. They fiddled with the zipper until it finally came unstuck, allowing Frisk access to all of their items. Frisk shuffled through their stash to see what would heal Flowey the best. There were multiple plastic containers that had been filled with treats, along with a few plastic grocery bags. One such container had a few spider donuts grouped together. Another had some Nicecream bars that thankfully took more effort to melt than the ice cream Frisk was used to. And… aha! Frisk still had a slice of Toriel's butterscotch cinnamon pie left. They had been saving it for their own use, but Flowey needed it more than they did now. Frisk wrapped their hand around the container and began to pull it from their bag. But they stopped themself.

This flower had attempted to kill them the moment the two had met, he’d mocked them for showing mercy, he’d made them watch someone fade away into nothing more than a pile of dust, and he’d killed them in countless different, yet equally painful ways. Why was Frisk trying to help him? By all means, Frisk should finish him off. He can’t even lift up his head. It would be that easy, they could kill this flower right now. All Frisk had to do was sever his stem, and that would be that. Boom! No more Flowey the Flower. 

Frisk rapidly shook their head hoping to dislodge those awful thoughts from their mind. How could they think of such things? Just because Flowey had done terrible things to them and other people, did not by any means make it okay to kill him. Like fighting fire with fire, it wouldn't help anyone. It would still be murder, and it would be proving Flowey right. He believed that in this world that you had to kill, or you would be killed. Frisk was going to show Flowey how that philosophy was more wrong than he could ever know.

Frisk removed the pie filled container and popped off the lid.

“What are you doing?”

The strained voice startled Frisk out of their focus. That voice was barely even recognizable. A far cry from Flowey’s standard sickenly happy tone. Frisk turned their head up to look at Flowey, who had tilted his head up enough for Frisk to just barely be able to make out his face. How had they not seen him move?

“Do you honestly think I’ve learned anything from this?” Flowey’s head drooped back down the ground, his face once again obscured by his injured petals. “No.”

Frisk frowned at Flowey. They looked back down at the container with the slice of pie still inside. Frisk carefully removed the slice from the storage container it had been kept in and placed it onto the lid to be used as a stand-in for a plate. They slid the treat up to Flowey, silently telling him to take a bite at least.

Flowey tilted his head up to acknowledge the slice of pie. He showed absolutely no interest in taking it. Frisk wouldn’t take no for an answer, so they just edged the lid with the slice of sweet-smelling pie on it closer to Flowey. 

“Come on… Those injuries look really bad. At least one bite.” Frisk murmured.

Flowey tilted his head up a tad more. The sharp pinpricks of light that were Flowey’s irises were entirely fixated on Frisk.

“Showing mercy to me won’t change _anything,”_ Flowey rasped. He looked up a bit more. “Killing me is the _only_ way to end this.”

Frisk would wait here all day if they had to. They grabbed a water bottle that they had gotten filled with spider cider as to not worry about spilling it in transport. Frisk took a sip, the healing magic infused in the drink mending their own injuries. The gash in their shoulder began to stitch itself back together, as did any other wounds. They kept a patient smile on their face all the while. Flowey was _not_ going to change their mind.

Flowey turned his head towards Frisk allowing his face to be completely in view. His face was just as battered as the rest of his body. Determination infused sap streamed out of a thin scratch that split open the right side of the flower’s face. Flowey’s entire body trembled from the effort it took to keep himself from being slumped over. 

“If you let me live,” Flowey huffed. He straightened out his posture so that his head was once again upright. He gazed unblinkingly at Frisk with a psychotic smile spread on his face. “I’ll come back.”

Frisk gave a casual shrug as they took another sip of cider. Flowey wasn’t going to get to them.

“I’ll _kill_ you.” Flowey hissed.

“Not like you haven’t already exhausted _that_ possibility.” Frisk chuckled. 

Truthfully, Frisk didn’t want to get killed again, even if they knew they wouldn’t _stay_ dead. It was still immensely painful and unpleasant and they’d rather avoid it. But they weren’t going to share those thoughts with Flowey, he’d be given edge if they did. If they refused to give Flowey the reaction he wanted out of them, maybe he’d crack.

“I’ll kill _everyone.”_ Flowey’s manic grin stretched out farther across his injured face.

Frisk flinched back at those words. The thought of Flowey putting anyone else through what they had to endure was something that they’d never live down. Frisk would be responsible for others getting hurt, and they had already signed the king’s death warrant! They got a hold of their thoughts before they all swirled out of control. _No! You’re not supposed to react! Don’t make him believe he has any power over you!_

Flowey’s grin got even wider at Frisk’s reaction, showing more of his teeth. “I’ll kill _everyone_ you love.”

Frisk had to remain calm in their reactions. The less extreme the response, the better.

“Yeah.” Frisk grinned. _“Sure_ you will.”

Flowey’s smile slipped at those words, concealing his teeth. He stared at Frisk with a subtle glint of confusion in his eyes. Frisk took another sip of the spider cider as they pushed the slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie a bit closer. Flowey glanced down at the slice of pie, his smile dropping to a subtle frown. He looked back up at Frisk. Flowey gritted his teeth as the confusion that accented his features sizzled away. A dull fire crackled in his eyes.

 _“...Why?”_ Flowey snarled.

Frisk drank the bottle of spider cider down to its last drops, feeling a bit better now that the worst of their injuries had patched themselves thanks to the healing magic. They kept their eyes fixed on Flowey, a smug smirk spreading across their face.

“Why what?”

“Why are you being,” Flowey’s scowl gave way to an outright frown as the anger gave way to a confused sadness. “so _nice_ to me?”

The mischief in Frisk’s face faltered the moment those words left Flowey’s lips. Frisk leaned in closer to Flowey, utter sincerity glimmering in their eyes. Flowey flinched back slightly at Frisk’s approach.

“Because I want to show you that there’s so much more to this word than your _kill or be killed_ mentality. I don’t believe in that mindset at all, and killing you would be going against everything I _do_ believe.”

Flowey looked down at the ground, no longer meeting Frisk’s eyes. “I don’t understand…”

“Then let me help you understand.” 

Flowey’s face scrunched up in confusion with a prevalent glint of sadness on his features. “I _can’t_ understand!”

“Yes, you can.” Frisk declared. They leaned in even closer to Flowey. “You just have to allow yourself to learn.”

Flowey looked back up at Frisk. All attempts to make out what was going through his head lead to dead ends. On one hand, he looked as though a cold river of sadness flowed through his body and that he just wasn’t able to cry. While on another he just looked confused, still trying to wrap his head around Frisk’s compassion as if it were a foreign concept to him. On another hand, he just looked hollow and fatigued.

A few long minutes passed as Flowey silently stared up at Frisk.

“I just…” Flowey faltered. He closed his eyes as he turned to face away from Frisk. _“Can’t_ understand!”

Before Frisk even had time to work out a response in their head, Flowey was already gone. The subtle scratching below the earth slowly reseeded away from where Frisk knelt as Flowey burrowed away. Their eyes remained fixated on the newly formed lesion that parted the grass and soil in the small patch of greenery Flowey had been planted in. _He didn’t even eat the pie…_

“Flowey ran away.” Chara said.

Frisk packed the slice of pie back up in the container before returning it to their bag. Once it was zipped back up, Frisk slung the bag onto their back. They carefully rose up to their feet. Frisk looked to their left to see a dull shimmer in the air. The air warped and twisted until it took the form of a human around Frisk’s age in a flash of pale, silvery light. Chara looked onwards to the path ahead with their arms crossed over their chest.

“Looks like that’s the end of that. No one can stop you now, the barrier is right there. You can finally go home.”

Frisk didn’t take their eyes off of their friend. “Chara…”

“Well?” Chara looked at them expectantly. “What are you waiting for? Go on.”

Frisk turned to face ahead of them. The end of their journey was really right there. After such a long trip, they could finally go home. They could breathe fresh air, see their old friends, and feel the sun on their skin. All they had to do was pass through, and they’d be free. Frisk took a deep breath as they marched toward the exit of the underground. 

The Barrier’s magic lashed out at Frisk and curled around their arms. It shoved them back out of the magic’s effect radius. Frisk threw and arm to the side to regain their balance. They faced The Barrier again. It pulsed with magical energy that had been dormant for decades if not centuries. The light from the surface spilled through it, calling to Frisk. Frisk stepped back a few paces staring The Barrier down with a determined spark in their eyes. They bolted down the churred up ground firmly clutching the straps of their backpack that dug into their shoulders. The zippers clattered against the backpack with every step Frisk took. 

The magic desperately tried to push Frisk back, but they remained determined. No barrier no matter how powerful was going to stop them! Their pace quickened to a full sprint to push back against The Barrier’s force. Frisk shivered as the ancient powerful magic skittered over them. They gave one final push and they phased through the bulk of The Barriers magic. Frisk heard light, saw sound, and felt a cluster of thoughts crash down onto them. If centuries could pass in one second, they just did. And then Frisk was outside.

The sun was setting below the horizon casting the last of its light on the Ebott region before nighttime settled in. Brilliant reds, golds, and oranges blended together harmoniously in the sky. The breeze swept by rustling Frisk’s chocolate brown locks. A chill carried with the breeze as a clear indication of the cold night to come. They’d made it.

“Wow. Now _that_ is a view. I can’t even put words to it.” Chara chuckled.

Frisk nodded in a wordless agreement. It was a view indeed. A view just for them and Chara.

Just _them_ and Chara.

Everyone down below was still trapped. They didn’t get to enjoy this view with them. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Napstablook, _everyone._ None of them got to enjoy this view at their side. Frisk had been so dead set on getting out of the underground that they failed to think of what that meant for everyone else. They were leaving a civilization with dwindling hope of ever seeing the sun behind.

A tsunami crashed down onto Frisk’s mind, the weight of their journey suddenly doubling their weight. Frisk’s legs limply gave out as they plopped down on the cliff edge of the mountain with their legs dangling off the ledge. Their shoulders slumped as their mournful gaze dropped down to the expanse of pine trees that spread out at the mountain’s base.

“Give a round of applause to us, especially to you! We made it out, _you_ made it out. No other human had been able to get past Asgore before now. You get to go home.” Chara laughs to themself. “To say that our journey was rough would be a vast understatement, but we did it.”

Frisk hung their head low. The birds sang their evening songs as the sun dipped down below the horizon line. It was so calming and welcoming. So undeserved. _So selfish._

“It’s sad that this is how it ends.” Chara sighed. “D- _Asgore_ is gone, and the barrier’s still as much of a nuisance as ever. Everyone is just going to stay trapped in The Underground.” Chara turned to look at Frisk. “Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, you could always stay down with monsterkind. I know from experience that they’re the most friendly, hospitable family _and_ friends you could ever _dream_ of having.”

Those words cut through Frisk’s mind like a hot knife through butter. One moment Frisk was fine, and the next they just silently caved in on themself. Everyone below the mountain had shown them kindness, friendship, and even offered them a home. They never cared to appreciate it. Their only goal was to get back to the surface, and back to the life they knew. How many people had they hurt? Frisk didn’t deserve to go back to all of them. How could they possibly face any of them after what they did?

Tears began to silently spill out of Frisk's eyes. The grief and regret that surged with every breath was palpable. 

“Oh jeez…” Chara knelt down at Frisk’s side and tentatively laid an arm over their shoulders. “Hey… What’s with the tears? You got what you wanted, right?”

Chara’s touch didn’t feel much like anything at all, closer to the feeling of oddly displaced air than anything else. Anyone who didn’t know of Chara would’ve just brushed the feeling aside.

The tears only flowed faster.

“Listen…” Chara’s voice was more soothing than it ever had been. “I know that this whole journey was exhausting, there were so many points most people would have given up. But you didn't. Even when you gazed over the edge of the cauldron of hell, you refused to give in. And you paired that unending determination with an ocean of kindness. You... You've taught me a lot. You've made me rethink a lot of what I used to believe. I really do owe you one, Frisk.”

Chara’s hand rubbed in a soothing motion across their shoulder. Frisk lifted their head up to look at their friend. The usual sass that traced Chara’s features was gone, leaving nothing but utter sincerity behind. Chara’s eyes illuminated like a beacon for Frisk’s soul to find it’s way back to tranquility. No words needed to be said for any of Chara’s intent to be made clear to Frisk. They would stay with Frisk for as long as they had to, to aid them for whatever Frisk needed.

Frisk turned away from their friend, they couldn’t stand looking at Chara. They didn’t deserve that compassion. How could Chara even stand them after what they did? They were half a murderer!

“I know what you’re thinking right now,” Chara pointed out. “don’t you _dare_ blame yourself for what happened back there. You didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

Frisk dapped their tears away with the sleeve of their faded sweater. The birdsong began to fade as the nightly symphony of the crickets chimed in. Frisk stared up at the sky and watched as the early stars peeked out of hiding. The golden and copper hues of the sky gave way to a dusty purple as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

“It’s getting late.”

Frisk startled out of the comfortable slice they had slipped into and turned to face their friend. Chara quickly apologized for startling them, to which Frisk forgave.

“It’s going to get dark soon, you should start heading back before the forest gets too dark to traverse.” Chara stated.

Chara had a point. It was clearly going to be dark in the woods once the last hints of the sun’s light gave way to the night.

Chara rose to their feet first, and so Frisk followed suit. 

“There are a lot of people that are really going to miss you, but you've come this far. I won't sway you into staying after all of what you endured.” Chara said. Their shoulders slumped. “I guess this is goodbye for now then, or forever.” Chara shrugged. “Your choice.”

“Hold on,” Frisk blurted. “You’re not coming with me?”

Chara looked over at the cave entrance that led to where Frisk fell down. “The spirit is bound to the flesh it would seem. This is the farthest I can go from my body buried back in The Ruins. So, sadly, yes. This is where we part ways.”

“Oh…” Frisk’s gaze dropped to the floor. 

“Hey, don’t worry about me.” Chara giggled. “I did well enough for a century on my own, a few months or years will feel like minutes to me.”

Frisk looked back up at Chara. “I’m really going to miss having you around…”

Yeah,” Chara murmured. “me too.”

The grass below Chara rustled in a phantom breeze as Char floated over to Frisk’s side. Chara smiled as they gave Frisk a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Well,” Chara said. “I won’t keep you any longer Frisk. You really should get going.”

They really couldn’t delay this any further. Frisk had to say goodbye to the friend who had been at their side since they fell down into The Underground. It felt as though Frisk was leaving a part of themself behind. Chara had kept them motivated, had made them laugh, had given them tips, and had overall just been the greatest friend and guide Frisk ever could’ve wanted.

Frisk met Chara’s eyes. Without any further stalling, Frisk tightly wrapped their arms around their ghostly friend as tears once again began to form in the corners of their eyes. It felt as though they were hugging nothing but air, that if they made one wrong move Chara’s form would scatter like leaves in the wind. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Frisk’s hold on their friend was soft yet strong. They held onto Chara as if to protect them from an exterior threat, but they also didn’t want to fracture their form.

Chara was startled by the sudden contact, not knowing what to do next. How long had it been since Chara had been hugged? The tension in Chara’s body eased as they slowly wrapped their arms around Frisk. Chara supplied a weak laugh that indicated they must not have been far from tears themself.

“Goodbye Chara.” Frisk mumbled.

“H-heh…” Chara chuckled. “Dang it, you're gonna make _me_ cry you little!”

The world slowed to a stop as the two held each other close, neither wanting to let go. Frisk soaked in every drop of that moment, as they knew that it would be the last time they’d see Chara for a good while. Eventually, Frisk let go. Chara released their hold as well, but not before giving a couple of pats on Frisk’s back.

“See you around, partner,” Chara said. “and wherever you end up out there, just remember what I’ve always told you.”

“Stay determined?” Frisk asked.

“Stay determined.” Chara asserted.

Frisk gave a firm nod, they’d make sure to remember that. Frisk scanned the area looking for the trail that would lead Frisk back to level ground. They spotted a parting in the grass that presumably led to a path. Frisk began to make their way over to the trail. Before they began walking down, Frisk turned around to look at Chara one final time. Chara hadn’t moved from their spot. They gave Frisk a reassuring smile and waved farewell to them. It was obvious that Chara didn’t want to say goodbye just as much as they didn’t, but they just smiled and waved. Frisk returned the gesture, waving to Chara as they began the trip down the trail.

As Frisk made their way down, the sides of Mt. Ebott gradually blocked off more and more their view on Chara. Frisk just kept on waving goodbye until Chara was completely out of sight. They let out a sigh and whatever tension they had been carrying bled out. Frisk was left with a feeling of melancholy rather than relief that wormed through them. As Frisk made their trek down the mountainside, their link to Char began to unravel itself. Frisk’s soul hadn’t been alone in so long, it would take ages to readjust. Resisting the urge to run back up the trail and back into Chara’s arms, Frisk pushed onwards.

Frisk took out their cell phone and flicked on the flashlight to illuminate their path. The world was enveloped in black with only the starlit sky to break it up. A choir of nightly insects and other animals broke up the silence as Frisk made their way down the path. They wrapped themself up in their arms to trap some of their heat to compensate for the chill that flowed through the air, taking special care to not block their light source.

It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to Chara, it was one of the hardest things they’d done in fact. But Frisk couldn’t stay up on the mountain all night. All of the memories the two had made together would not be forgotten. Frisk clung to every memory that and Chara made together. All the way back to when Frisk had first fallen down, and they were scared of the slightest rustle of leaves or gust of wind. All the way to the hug the two had just shared. There would be new memories too when Frisk returned to visit everyone one day. There would be more adventures, more laughs, and more memories. Frisk would make sure that this wasn’t the last time they and Chara would ever talk. There was so much more they could do.


End file.
